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The book and the movie share only a few details in common. The most obvious shared attribute is the title. The differences are almost staggering; Los Angeles/New York, Caucasian male/African-American male, blue collar/white collar, etc. The story is roughly 160 pages long, although there are ten short stories that follow: Buried Talents, The Near Departed, Prey, Witch War, Dance of the Dead, Dress of White Silk, Mad House, The Funeral, From Shadowed Places, and Person to Person. If you are purchasing the book because you like the movie you may feel cheated that the movie is merely based on the book, rather than a direct cinematic interpretation. The book is a great (and quick) read, told by the perspective of Robert Neville, a man feared to be the sole survivor of the human race. The beginning, however, seems to be drawn out and the word choice is less than sophisticated. Thankfully, as the story progresses so does the word choice. If you love stories based on the appeal of the last man, or on the decline of society, then this book would be to your liking. Matheson also takes a new spin on vampire lore, which was one of the reasons this book appealed to me (the other being that it was a required text for a class). Although better vampires stories exist, this book is worth the read for any vampire enthusiast and highly recommended.Read full review
I saw a trailer for upcoming movie "I am legend" with Will Smith and the story has intrested me. So i decided to buy original book, which has a promising author and very good reviews. The book is really good, it has a sophisticated story, no boring parts at all and a bit shocking ending. Mine version of the book got a few short stories from R. Matheson at extra at the end (I am legend has something like 170 pages), which was a good reading too.
I picked up I Am Legend because I had seen the movie and wanted to read the book. I was confused at the major differences, and was glad I had watched the movie first. Had I read the book and looked forward to a movie based on it, I would have been sorely disappointed. That said, the book is well written, as all of Matheson's books are. On a purely mechanical level, it is a fascinating read. The vampires in the pages are quite different from other modern or ancient tales I'm familiar with, and it put a completely new perspective on it. The second half of the book is dedicated to short, somewhat gruesome stories which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I AM LEGEND is an excellent story, with a great premise. Several other stories are included in the book, which I did not know originally. What a nice surprise. Matheson is a great writer and considering that some of these stories were written almost 50 years ago, he could certainly be considered one of the earliest great American horror writers. While the stories are all engrossing and well written, Matheson's endings all sort of leave a lot to be desired, either fizzling out or ending abruptly and somewhat confusingly(mysteriously?). Overall, however, I would definitely recommend the book for I AM LEGEND alone, and the other short stories are a nice bonus.
To be honest here, I have not even started reading this book, but I must comment that I received it very quickly! It was very well wrapped and in very good condition! I bought this book because I recently saw an episode of the Dick Cavett Show from 1972 with George Romero and Stephen King! George Romero said this was the book that gave him inspiration to make "Night of the Living Dead". Since this movie is one of my all-time favorites, I was very intrigued to read this book! So hopefully soon I can sit myself down in a quiet setting and read this! I have a feeling that the movie "I Am Legend" with Will Smith will be (hopefully) nothing like the book, as I thought the movie was so lackluster and boring!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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